PurpleStride Pride

Working at a company that values Corporate Citizenship is one of the many reasons why I love working at Waggener Edstrom.

A couple weekends ago, four of my fellow WE friends and I volunteered at PurpleStride Portland 2012, a family-friendly awareness walk / event organized by the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network* (PAN) as a way to raise money and awareness for the fight against pancreatic cancer. The event took place at the Oregon Zoo and as a PAN volunteer I organized the Purple Play Zone tent and recruited WE colleagues to help coordinate fun activities for the kids. When I approached the WE Citizenship team about ways WE might help me with the event, I was blown away with the level of support I received. Not only did I apply for (and received) a $200 volunteer grant to donate towards the organization, but I was also grateful for the hands-on guidance in helping me spread the word through social media and internal communications.

Having the opportunity to volunteer for this year’s PurpleStride event was close to my heart as my uncle recently passed away from pancreatic cancer after being diagnosed in November. The strong support from WE meant the world to me and my family and I am grateful for the WE volunteer time, donations and the role my fellow co-workers and friends played. Special thanks to Melissa Dingle Hood, Sarah Linker, Lauren Berg and Elena Morgan for helping me organize this event and paint all the little kids’ faces! This year’s PurpleStride Portland had a great turn-out and the Portland chapter alone raised over $63,000 toward the fight against pancreatic cancer.

*Pancreatic Cancer Action Network is the national organization creating hope in a comprehensive way through research, patient support, community outreach and advocacy for a cure.

Did you know?

It is estimated that 44,000 Americans will be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer this year.

Pancreatic cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer death.

There is currently no cure and no early detection method for pancreatic cancer.